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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · ball · field · calf · pass · march · kick · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. march — music
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. ball — a great time
  7. march — the month
  8. field — farmland
  9. pass — a permit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. court — of a king
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. field — for sport
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — a subject
  21. march — the month
  22. kick — in football
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com